9. Tips For Adults Check your computer’s internet history Video on how to check your computer’s internet history
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Editor's Notes
Place your computer in an open area where everyone can easily be involved. Use time on the computer as family time and learn together. The Internet is a great resource for kids. One can get homework help, meet and connect with friends through e-mail, instant messaging (IM) and social networking sites and find positive ways to have fun. BUT the Internet can also be full of risks for children. Learn how to protect your family.
Parental controls can block inappropriate Internet sites, record sites your child has visited and prevent inappropriate material from reaching your child through email.
The Facts: Most kids who receive sexual advances online ignore or delete them. 42% of kids (ages 10 – 17) admitted to having seen online porn while surfing the Internet, according to a 2005 University of New Hampshire study. One in seven kids between the ages of 10 – 17 has been sexually approached online. Kids can find a work around parental controls (especially if they’re older). Parents should be talking to their children about what they’re doing online. Keep computer in common area, not in their rooms. Tell them never to meet anyone in person who they meet online. Tell kids not to share personal information online (ie: cell phone number, address, age, e-mail address, etc.) Make sure your kids use gender-neutral screen names (ie: soccer5459) Tell your kids not to respond to e-mails from people they don’t know.
Cyber bullying means being cruel to other kids online. This can include: pretending to be someone else and sending hurtful or embarrassing messages telling someone’s secrets spreading rumors and threats hate crimes, based on race, religion, appearance or sexual orientation Follow the following steps to find out if your child is being cyber bullied, they may be embarrassed or scared to talk to someone about it. Google your child’s name and use quotation marks for an exact search (ie: “John Doe”). Search their: full name e-mail address, and screen name Report harassment to WiredSafety.org and fill out the form at https://wiredsafety.org/folks/stalking.html Risky behavior for cyber bullying: Internet addiction: spending too much time online Playing violent computer games Sharing personal information online If your child is being threatened offline, call the police immediately.
The option to buy prescription drugs online is a relatively new phenomenon Adults need to make sure children are safe from online drug dealers and sites that sell prescription drugs. Kids can easily buy addictive prescription, street or over-the-counter drugs online. all a kid needs is access to a credit card that may be stored on the computer You can’t depend on monitoring software to catch this. Drugs often arrive in unmarked packages. Don’t let your child open a mailed package without you. Monitor your child’s Internet use by checking your computer’s history.
Establish clear ground rules. Consider signing a contract with your child establishing rules for using the Internet. Post your family’s rules near the computer. Learn about parental controls protective software, and controlled access options Search engines do not automatically filter out inappropriate materials. Try these child-safe options: KidsAOL.com Yahooligans AskJeeves Use parental controls to block out (or filter) web sites with adult or inappropriate content (violence, sex, drugs). Use internet filters such as http:// kids.getnetwise.org /tools/filters
(Activity: Click the link and watch the video on how to check the browsing history of a computer.)
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